MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)( in Russia exceeded to 138,000 tonnes in first two months of this year, up 29% year on year, compared to the same period of 2014. Such a serious increase in production volumes resulted from the launch of new production at RusVinyl, according to MRC ScanPlast.
Many Russian producers decreased capacity utilisation in February, as a result, the total production of unmixed PVC dropped to 63,900 tonnes, compared with 74,100 tonnes in January. Russia's PVC production totalled 138,000 tonnes in the first two months of the year, compared with 107,300 year on year. Such a high growth rate in production resulted form the launch of new 330,000 tonnes/year production at RusVinyl , based in Nizhny Novgorod.
Structure of PVC production over the reported period looked as follows. SayanskKhimPlast reduced its production rates in February, down by 12% from the January level, having produced 19,500 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC). Total PVC production by the producer was 44,200 tonnes in the first two months of this year, down 15% year on year.
Bashkir Soda Company (BSC) decreased production rates in February by 4%, compared with the January level, with 19,600 tonnes produced in February. Producer's production of SPVC totalled 42,300 tonnes in January - February of this year, up 15% year on year.
RusVinyl (JV SIBUR and SolVin) increased capacity utilisation by 4% in February, having produced 17,400 tonnes of SPVC. Total SPVC production at RusVinyl was 35,800 tonnes in January - February 2015.
Kaustik (Volgograd) in February reduced capacity utilization by 3% compared to the January level, with 7,400 tonnes produced in February.
Total PVC production by the producer was 15,700 tonnes in the first two months of 2015, up 2% year on year.
MRC
MOSCOW (MRC) -- January imports of polypropylene (PP) to the Belarusian market decreased by 16% and totalled a little over 4,600 tonnes. Propylene copolymers accounted for the most significant fall in demand, reported MRC analysts.
According to the National Statistics Committee of Belarus, January PP imports to Belarus dropped to 4,600 tonnes versus 5,500 tonnes in January 2014 and 8,800 tonnes in December 2014. Lower PP shipments were caused by seasonal factors, and it was European material that accounted for the greatest fall in supplies, whereas propylene copolymers accounted for the weakest demand.
The consumption structure by PP grades looks the following way over the stated period.
January imports of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) decreased to 3,900 tonnes from 4,100 tonnes in January 2014 and 6,500 tonnes in December 2014. Local companies significantly reduced their purchasing in Europe, particularly, in Hungary and Germany. At the same time, purchasing of homopolymer PP in Russia totalled 3,600 tonnes versus 2,100 tonnes in January 2014 and 4,800 tonnes in December 2014.
January imports of propylene copolymers fell below 800 tonnes, whereas they were 1,400 tonnes and 2,300 tonnes, respectively, in January 2014 and December 2014. As in the homopolymer PP market, local companies in the propylene copolymers market significantly reduced their purchasing in Europe in favor of Russian producers, particularly, Nizhnekamskneftekhim.
MRC